Oil delivery computing device



Dec. 24, 1940.

G. H. CLEMENT OIL DELIVERY COMPUTINGDEVICE Filed Aug. '7, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I Ggorge h. Herve/ f Patented Dec. 24, 1940UNITED STATES OIL DELIVERY COMPUTING DEVICE George H. Clement,Merchantville, N. J.

Application August 7,

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a calculating device for ascertaining the dateor time for delivery of fuel oil in homes, manufacturing plants, orinstitutions employing oil burners.

More specifically my invention determines, immediately following thedelivery of fuel oil, the cumulative degree-days that the next oildelivery should be made.

Heretofore, calculations to determine the supply of fuel oil in thecustomers tank have been made arithmetically; and because of the manyvariables due to different customers having different size fuel tanks,different yearly oil consumptions, and different oil reserves, themathematical calculations are slow, difficult, and occasionallyerroneous due to certain factors being omitted.

Automatic oil delivery is the term used where the customer givesapproval for oil to be delivered any time he needs it; hence, the tankis to be iilled by the oil company whenever the oil supply becomes low.Automatic delivery is desirable to the company since it permits the oiltrucks to be routed in the most eiiicient manner, to travel on differentdays in certain neighborhoods with only one grade of oil, and itprevents inconvenience to the customer by keeping him amp-1y suppliedwith fuel oil.

Heretofore, no mechanical calculators for use of the oil companies havebeen devised to approximate the accumulated degree-days when oildelivery should be made. My automatic mechanical calculator eliminatesthe errors which may arise when complex mathematical calculations aremade to determine when oil delivery should be made to the customer.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to construct a mechanicaldevice whereby predetermined fuel oil deliveries may be calculated.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device which will enableone immediately following an oil delivery to predetermine the degreedayson which the next fuel oil delivery should be made.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device wherein theoperating levers are few in number and easily operable.

Another object of my invention is to provide a calculator wherein theresults are rapidly and directly obtained.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a calculator whichwill'permanently and directly imprint the results upon cards which maybe filed-the cards to be used at a later time for purpose of reference.

1937, Serial No. 157,948

A still further object of my invention is to provide a calculator wherethe scales or charts are easily and directly readable by the operator.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of thecharacter described, which is easily and economically produced, andwhich is sturdy and compact in construction.

With the above and related objects in view, my invention consists in thedetails of construction and combination of parts as will hereinafter bemore fully described and which will be more readily understood when thedescription is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a plan View in computing position of a calculatorembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a degree day scale.

Fig. 3 is a card, for the files of the oil company, but with the finalresults as made by the calculator imprinted thereon.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of Fig. l with the calculatorin its initial or noncomputing position.

The hereinbelow description is by way of a synopsis of'the elementscomprising my invention and an effort on my part to briefly recite thecoordination of all the elements in a generic manner before I describethe elements and their function in more specific detail.

In this application the term degree-days will be used to designate thedifference between an arbitrary number 65 and the daily average outdoortemperature in degrees less than 65. The numeral 65 is merely anarbitrary number. As an example, if the average day temperature is 60,then the degree-days is 5, which represents the difference between 65and 60.

Referring now to the drawings, a degree-day scale, generally designatedas A, is located on the left-hand portion, as Fig. 1 is viewed, of abase [0 of the calculator. The degree-day scale A contains numbersdesignating the sum of degreedays from the beginning of the cold seasonuntil the end of the cold season in equal variations. At the lowercenter portion of the fuel oil delivery calculator is a fuel oil tankproportionate capacity scale, generally designated as B, and on theright-hand portion of the fuel oil delivery calculator is a yearly fueloil consumption scale, generally designated as C.

Cooperative with the cumulative degree-days scale A and the yearly oilconsumption scale C is a horizontally positioned pointer or index bar D,which is vertically movable. Parallel to the bar D is a second or indexbar E, which is cooperative with the cumulative degree-days scale A andthe proportionate tank capacity scale B, and parallel to bars D and E isa third vertically movable bar F which also is coordinated with thecumulative degree-days scale A and the proportionate tank capacity scaleB. A diagonally positioned or hypotenuse bar G suitably coordinates barsD, E, and F, and the bar G pivots about a pointer or index H.

Referring now to the specific details embodying my invention, thedegree-days scale A is mounted upon a board I0 and comprises a strip ofparchment or rubber or other suitable material I2 having a consecutiveseries of ascending numbers which can be read quickly and also acomplementary series of reverse numbers thereon, which reverse numberscan be inked and pressed upon a card so that the numbers will read intheir correct position on the card rather than in their reverseposition. Scale A contains a series of numbers in ascending arithmeticalprogression, and the numbers represent accumulated degree-days.

Each end of the degree-days strip i2 is mounted on a supply roller H.and a take-up roller [6. Each of the rollers 44 and I6 is capable ofbeing revolved manually by the operator. The numerals borne by the scaleA range from one to the total number of degree-days there will be fromthe beginning of one season to the end of that season.

As an illustration of the operation of my invention with respect to thetime, I rotate the chart A having aggregate degree-day markings thereon.I shall assume that the degree-day temperature at the beginning of thecold period is five, and the degree-day temperature of the second day isfifteen; thus, fifteen plus five equals a total of twenty degree-days.The numeral 20 is on chart A. Assume further that oil delivery is madeon that day when the total degree-days is 20; then the chart A is moveduntil the numeral 20 on chart A coincides with index 50, because of thefact that delivery is made on that cumulative degree-day. As shall behereinafter further described, the total degree-days when the next oildelivery preferably should be made will be printed on a card J or readby the operator after the other required factors are known. Thiscumulative addition of the degreedays determines the point to which thescale is rotated by the turning of the rollers l4 and it each daythroughout the winter, fall or spring,

The indicia B has the proportionate tank capacity in fractions and alsoin gallons; hence, the same indicia may be used for different size tanksof general use. That is, the marking 275 indicates a tank that will hold2'75 gallons of fuel oil, the marking 550 means a tank of 550 galloncapacity, etc.

On the 275 tank designation is a series of markings which indicate thenumber of gallons of fuel oil in the tank, that is, from 25 to 275. Onthe upper side are spaces which indicate the fractional amount of oil inthe tank to the full tank capacity as A A, /2, /8, and full. The 550gallon tank and the 1080 gallon tank capacities are appropriatelyarranged alongside of the 275 gallon tank indicia. Any other size tanksmay also be placed on the chart B.

The total oil consumption chart C is a chart having the total number ofgallons of oil ordinarily consumed per year by the customer. At thistime it is advisable to note that the amount of oil consumed isgenerally controlled by the outside temperature, and the frequency ofdelivery depends on the size of the fuel oil tank. As an example, if acustomer consumes 2000 gallons of oil a year, his fuel oil consumptionis normal and a 2'75 gallon tank is sufiicient to store a suitablequantity of fuel. Whereas if a party having a 275 gallon tank consumes5000 gallons of oil a year, it is obvious that more deliveries must bemade to the greater consumer of oil than to the lesser consumer of oil.

Therefore, an arbitrary factor, designated as K, may also be used inplace of the total oil consumption. The factor K may be defined as totaldegree-days (D. D.) divided by the total fuel consumption in gallons(gallonage) per year; expressed mathematically K: D. D.

gallonage In other words, K represents the degree-days per gallon offuel; that is, the amount of fuel oil consumed for one degree-dayrepresented by the factor K, and if the K factor is known for eachconsumer, this factor can be used on the C scale.

The indicator bar D, mounted so that it moves only in a paralleldirection to the bottom edge of the board, has a right-hand index 20which points to the chart C, and an index 22 mounted on the left-handend of bar D points to the cumulative degree-days. Adjacent the index 22is a rubber pad which has in raised inkable letters the word Emptyprinted thereon.

The index 22 points to the numeral designations on the scale A, whichindicates the cumulative degree-days when all the oil in the tank wouldbe consumed, that is: the pointer indicates the degree-days when the oilwould be consumed so that the oil company which keeps a record in theiroffice of the degree-days and the date know the particular degree-dayswhen all the oil in the tank would be consumed.

The index 20 is moved over the member indicating the total oilconsumption of that particular installation. Expressed differently, whenbar D is moved, it is moved in a vertical direction by virtue of guidebar 3! so that its index 20 points to the scale C which indicates thequantity of fuel oil consumed per year or the factor K on scale C. Thefactors K or the total yearly oil consumption on the scale C' are notuniformly spaced apart but are located at points predetermined fromactual results on similar installations.

The bar D also has a guide bar 26 rigidly affixed thereto, and the guidebar moves in vertically aligned bearings 26, 28. The guide bearings 26,28 may be dispensed with provided other suitable guides are employed. Ahandle 30 on the bar D enables the operator to easily move the bar D andits coordinated bars upwardly or downwardly.

A stud 32 located near the right-hand side of the bar D projectsdownwardly and interfits with the slot 34 defined by the parallel spacedbars 35, 38 of the hypotenuse or diagonally positioned bar G. Thediameter of the stud 32 is substantially equal to the space between thebars 36, 38 so that movement of the bar D and its stud 32 will alwaysmove the bar G, particularly since the lower pivot point about which barG moves is fixed.

Upon movement of the bar D, the bar E. is likewise moved because a smallcylindrical'stud 40 rigidly afiixed to carrier 48 also interfits withthe space 34 of the bar G in the same manner as the stud 32 interfitswith space 34, and since the stud 40 moves, it moves the bar E parallelto the bar D. The parallel movement of bar E with respect to bar Doccurs because of suitable guides (not shown) which guides compel thebar E to move in a predetermined direction.

The bar E. has at its left-hand side an index 42, which points to thecumulative degree-days on the scale or chart A. Beside the index 42 is arubber stamp or other card imprinting device 44 with the word Reservethereon. The term Reserve indicates the degree-days when the reserve oilsupply is started to be used, and it is afterthis Reserve period that afuel oil delivery should be made.

An index 46, cooperative with the chart B, is carried by a springtensioned grooved carrier 48, which is manually operated to slide uponthe bar E, and the stud 4|] is also affixed to the carrier 48. Thespring tensioned carrier 48 is mounted so that it will not idly slidefrom side to side and will retain its position on the bar E unless movedby the person operating the device. The index 46 points to thefractional capacity of the tank which is arbitrarily selected as theReserve in the tank. As an example, in Fig. 1 index 46 lies over thedesignationwhich indicates that one-fourth of the total capacity of thetank is considered to be the reserve supply.

It should be observed that a certain ratio exists between the percentageof reserve oil in the tank and the total consumption of oil, which ratiois determined by the indexes 22 and 42 pointing to the degree-days onthe chart A.

The horizontally located bar F mounted in suitable bearings or guidesmoves in a vertical direction and carries an index 50 which points tothe cumulative degree-days on the chart A. Besides the index 50 is arubber stamp or imprinting device 52 with the word Dely thereon, meaningthe cumulative degree-days on which delivery of fuel oil was last made.The index 50 points to the cumulative degree-days on the scale A whenoil delivery has been made. Bar F carries a slidable spring pressedgrooved carrier 54 which has rigidly attached to the carrier 54 an index56, the latter being cooperative with the chart B. This index points tothe amount of oil in the tank at the time of the fuel oil delivery, anddesignates whether or not the driver has properly left enough fuel oil.If an insufficient supply is left, it means that more trips must bemade, and additional trips mean higher costs to the oil company.

Astud 58, rigidly secured to the carrier 54, interfits with the slot 34in the rod G and serves to elevate the bar F when the bar D is moved,and when the bar D is moved downwardly, the bar F also moves downwardly;and this always occurs because the pointer 56 is usually not placed overthe per cent mark of scale B. The stud 58 slides against a portion ofthe spaced bars 36, 38 within the slot 34.

The left-hand end of the bar G slides about a pivot 64 which is mountedupon a fixed bar H that has a cumulative degree-days pointer 60 and arubber stamp or imprinting device 62 with the word Full thereon. The barH cannot move and points to the graded series of degree-days on chart A.If the tank is filled when the driver delivers the oil, then thedegree-days on Fullf and Dely pointers 60' and 50, respectively, will bethe same. j

If the driver does not completely fill the tank, then the pointers onthe Dely? index and the pointers on the Full index will not coincide,and the diiference in degree-days between the two pointers willmerely'be an indication as to the number of degree-days that would betaken care of if the driver had filled the tank. Under ordinaryconditions, theindex H could be eliminated.

It may be observed that the-bars D and H control the position ofhypotenuse bar G since they hold a fixed point 64 and a movable point32. Since three factors are known, to wit: the total oil consumption,the fraction of reserve, and the percentage of oil in the tank at" thestart, the two unknown factors can be solved. These automaticallycomputed unknown factors are: (1) total degree-days when the tank willbe empty, (2) cumulative degree-days when the reserve supply is calledupon. Hence, the operator mere- 1y needs to look at the weather chartgiving the cumulative degree-days, and he will know whether deliveryshould be made at once as m the caseof an emergency or on the regularroute.

As an example of the operation of my invention, let us assume that JohnDoe of 1955 71st Avenue has a 275 gallon fuel oil tanlaand the driverhas made a delivery of oil so that the tank is approximatelyseven-eighths filled. The card also shows that the approximate yearlyconsumption of oil is 2200 gallons. Then when the operator of thecalculator receives the delivery card J from the driver, he moves theindex46 so that it is over the A designation on scale B;' the index 56is moved so that it is over the designation on scale B; and handle 30 isgrasped and moved by the operator until the index 20 is over the 2200designation of the chart C. Let 'us further assume that the oil deliverywas madeon a day when the cumulative degree-days was 1750'. Under suchconditions the scale A will be shifted until the marking 1750 isopposite index 50 or is Dely. The card is then placed so it is betweenguides or rests 66, 61, 68, and 66, and then has the numerals ofdegree-daysimprinted thereon and the designations Empty, .Reserve, Dely,and Full pointing to different degreedays. Further assuming that thecumulative degree-days numeral is 2150 beside the word FReserve, thenthe card is placed in a file where the cumulative degree-days of 2150 isplaced. In other words, when the cumulative degree temper,- aturebecomes or approaches 2150, the supplier will known that it istime toinform the driver of the delivery truck to stop at John Does home on hisregular route delivery and fill the oil tank.

John Does card is then applied to the calculator in the same way as wasdone'in the aforementioned description remembering, of course, that thecumulative degree-days have changed as the days having degree-days pass.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as illustrative rather than limiting, sincetheinvention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the inventionis to be determined as claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic fuel oil delivery calculator comprising a cumulativedegree-day chart, a. total fuel consumption chart parallel to and spacedapart from said degree-day chart, a member movable transverse to saidcharts and having an index at one end pointing to said degree-day saidtotal fuel chart, a pivot on said movable member and being locatedadjacent said total fuel chart, a fixed pivot member adjacent the lowerend of said degree-day chart, an hypotenuse member both slidable andpivotable upon said fixed pivot and slidable upon said pivot on themovable member, and a third index member pointing to said degree-daychart to indicate the degree-day when fuel oil should be delivered,means whereby said third index member will move in a direction parallelto said transverse member, and means between said hypotenuse member andsaid third index member whereby pivotal movement of said hypotenusemember will vary the position of said third index member along thedegree-day chart.

2. An oil fuel supply calculator comprising a scale having a progressingseries of cumulative degree-days thereon; a second scale having different values of total consumption of fuel oil per year as one side of aright triangle; a third scale having fractional amounts of the fuel inthe tank to the total oil capacity of the fuel tanks as the base of saidtriangle, said third scale being divided into intermediate amounts fromthe empty to full positions, means having indexes to point to saidscales wherein the known factors are (1) amount of oil in the tank totank capacity, (2) approximate oil consumption per year, (3) thefractional amount of oil in the tank to tank capacity when fuel oildelivery is to be made; said degree-days scale being substantiallyparallel to said total fuel consumption scale; a hypotenuse memberpivotally connected adjacent the full position of the third scale; a baradapted to be movable in a direction which is parallel to the base ofthe triangle, a pointer simultaneously slidable upon said hypotenuse andupon said bar, a pointer on said bar being adapted to be positioned oversaid second scale; and an index on said parallel bar pointing to thedegree-days on said degree-days chart whereby the degree-days indicatedis the degree-days when the fuel supply within the tank is to bereplenished.

3. An oil fuel supply calculator comprising a board having a cumulativedegree-day chart at one side of the board, a total fuel consumptionchart parallel to said degree-day chart and forming one leg of atriangle, a gallon proportionate chart located transversely of saiddegree-day and of said total fuel consumption chart to be the base ofsaid triangle, a fixed pivot located adjacent the lower end of saidcumulative degreeday chart, a straight index pointer bar located oversaid board and having an index pointing to said total fuel consumptionchart and an index pointing to said degree-day chart, a pintle on saidindex pointer bar located adjacent said total fuel consumption chart, adiagonal bar connected between said fixed pivot and said pintle on saidindex bar and being arranged for both pivotal and sliding movement onsaid fixed pivot and for sliding movement on said pintle, said diagonalbar movable upon movement of said index pointer bar, and a second barbeing located parallel to an index pointer bar and having indexespointing to said degree-day chart and to said gallon prochart and anindex at the other end pointing to portionate chart, said last-namedsecond bar being movable upon said diagonal bar whereby the degree-daywhen oil should be delivered is indicated, and means whereby said secondbar may move upon said diagonal bar.

4. An automatic fuel oil delivery calculator comprising a degree-daychart, a total fuel consumption chart forming one leg of a righttriangle and parallel to said degree-day chart, said degree-day and saidfuel consumption charts being substantially spaced parallel to oneanother, a bar having a pointer at each end thereof, one of saidpointers cooperative with said degree-day chart and the other pointercooperative with said fuel consumption chart, a fractional fuel oilcapacity tank chart forming a second leg of the right triangle, anhypotenuse member, means whereby said bar pointers move simultaneouslyin a rectilinear direction, means for locating the position of saidhypotenuse member, said means comprising a fixed pivot and a movablepivot adjacent-the total fuel consumption chart on said first-named bar,and means movable upon said hypotenuse member, said means including apointer movable over the fractional oil capacity tank chart and apointer over the degree-day chart whereby movement of the pointer overthe fractional oil capacity tank chart along the hypotenuse member willcarry with it the pointer over the degree-day chart thereby indicatingthe degree-day when fuel oil should be delivered.

5. A fuel oil calculator comprising a chart serving as the base of atriangle, said chart having a fractional amount of the fuel in the tankto the total oil capacity of a fuel tank from the empty to the fullpositions; a second chart serving as the vertical leg of the trianglehaving the total fuel consumption per year thereon; a third chartsubstantially parallel to said second chart, said third chart having anarithemetical progression of degree-days thereon; a hypotenuse member ofsaid triangle pivoted at the full point of the fuel tank capacity chart;a movable bar parallel to said base; a slidable member being slidablesimultaneously on both the hypotenuse member and said bar; an index onsaid bar and pointing to said degree-days chart whereby it will indicatethe degree-days when fuel delivery has been made, a pointer afiixed tosaid slidable member and pointing to said first-named chart to indicatethe fractional ratio of fuel in the tank and its actual capacity thatthe oilman has left in the tank; a second bar parallel to saidfirstnamed bar, an index on said second bar and pointing to saiddegree-days chart to indicate the degree-days when the reserve supply offuel is reached, a second slidable member being adapted to slide uponboth the hypotenuse and said second bar simultaneously, a pointer onsaid second slidable member pointing to said first-named chart toindicate when the reserve supply of fuel is reached, a third barparallel to the base and the other two bars, means whereby said thirdbar is slidable only on said hypotenuse, and an index on said third barpointing to said total consumption chart, said third bar locating thevertex of said triangle.

GEORGE H. CLEMENT.

